


Legacies

by TaggedLegacies



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-09-19 03:53:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20324668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaggedLegacies/pseuds/TaggedLegacies
Summary: Storyline starting from 2x01. Enjoy!





	1. The Forgotten Girl

Volume 2: Of Monsters and Memories   
Chapter 1: The Forgotten Girl  
Hope opened her eyes and saw trees above her as she lay on her back. She slowly sat up, wincing in pain. She looked down to see the large cut in her side oozing blood. It was at this time that she also realized that she wasn't wearing any clothes. Something must have happened to them when she jumped through the door to escape. She tried to heal her wounds, but as she concentrated, she noticed that she wasn't able to. She was still weak from the journey home and the fight she had barely survived. She looked around her surroundings, and recognized exactly where she was. She was a short distance away from the Salvatore school, and with that realization, she found some strength and pulled herself off the ground, and began limping towards the school. The closer she got, the stronger she felt and the happier she became. She could see the building through the trees, and began to move faster when she heard footsteps. She immediately took shelter behind a tree, and peeked around the corner. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that the source of the footprints was Landon. She thought she would never see him again, but there he was. She took a deep breath and stepped out from the tree.  
Landon heard a noise, and turned quickly to see what had caused it. He saw a girl with red hair standing by a tree, naked. He saw a cut in her side that was bleeding badly, and her face was covered in small cuts and bruises. She took a step towards him, and he forced himself to only look at her face as he also took a step towards her.  
"Are you okay," he asked the girl. "What happened to you?"  
She stumbled and collapsed, and as she fell, she spoke, her voice quiet. "Landon," she called out, that single word escaping her lips as she hit the ground unconscious.  
Landon was taken aback by her knowing his name, but he immediately took off his jacket and wrapped it around the girl's small figure, and then raised her into his arms and hurried back to the school.  
...  
Alaric sat in his office, reading a book and making small notes in the margins when his office door was opened. Landon rushed in, carrying a girl in his arms, his jacket wrapped around her. Alaric quickly shut his book and stood up as he looked at Landon with a bewildered expression.  
"Landon, what the hell is going on? Who is this," He demanded, looking his student in the eyes.  
"I have no idea who she is. I found her in the woods, and she was hurt, and I figured I should bring her here. Also, I think she knew who I was. Before she passed out, she said my name," Landon explained as he gently set the girl down against the wall.  
Alaric took all this in as he looked at the girl's face, wondering how to proceed. He opened his mouth to speak when Josie entered the room. Landon and Alaric turned to face her and she saw the blood on Landon's hands.  
"Landon, are you okay," she asked before noticing the girl propped up behind them. "Who is that?"  
"We don't know," Alaric informed his daughter. "But until we do, we need to lock her up in the werewolf transition cages. For all we know, she could be a new monster."  
"Why would a monster come to the school," Landon asked. "We stopped Malivore."  
"It's better to be safe than sorry," Alaric replied. "Landon, will you take her down there for me? And Josie, can you find her some clothes? I'm gonna go grab MG so he can give her some blood to heal her wounds."  
Landon nodded and picked the girl back up, cradling her gently in his arms. As he walked out of the room, Josie looked at her, guessing what size clothes the girl would need, then they both left the room. Alaric ran his fingers through his hair and stepped out of his office, and headed to MG's room.  
...  
Ryan Clarke opened his eyes and quickly stood up. His face was covered in blood, and he was seething with anger. He discovered that he wasn't wearing any clothes, and looked around his surroundings to catch his bearings. He stood in an empty field, and in the distance, he could see a small gas station and a road. He walked towards the gas station as blood dripped from his face onto his torso. As he neared the gas station, he saw a classic red Mustang drive up to the building and park, a man stepping out and walking inside. The man came out a moment later holding a key and walking to the side of the building, to a door labeled with a men's restroom sign. The man unlocked the door and stepped inside. Clarke smiled and walked with purpose towards that door. He grabbed the handle and turned it, opening the door and stepping inside. The man was standing at a small sink, looking in the mirror when he noticed Clarke.  
"Hey buddy, what the hell," the man began before Clarke grabbed the man's head and slammed it into the mirror. Glass shattered and the man's face was bleeding. Clarke grabbed a piece of the glass, and as the man was getting ready to swing a fist at him, Clarke sliced the man's throat. The man's hands reached up to grab his throat as he fell to the ground, a pool of blood gathering below him. Clarke stole the man's clothes and car keys, and left the dead body in the bathroom. He got in the driver's seat of the Mustang, and turned the key. The engine purred to life, and Clarke smiled as he drove the car out of the parking lot. He had a tribrid to kill.  
...  
Hope opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She immediately recognized the werewolf transition cage that she was in. She was laying on a bed, and at the foot of the bed, there was a pile of clothes, folded neatly. She looked down and realized that she was wearing Landon's jacket. She pulled it off and quickly got changed into the new clothes, noticing that her wounds had been completely healed. She could also feel that her strength was completely back. After she was dressed, she picked up Landon's jacket, and raised it to her face. She breathed it in, and was elated to find that it smelled like him. She clutched it close to her body, wishing that her boyfriend was there with his arms around her. The door to the transition spaces opened, and Alaric and Landon walked in, stopping in front of her cage.  
"Good, you're awake," Alaric said as he looked at her. "Now maybe you can tell me who you are, and how you knew Landon's name."  
Hope nodded, choosing her words carefully. "My name is Hope Mikaelson. I was a student here. Me and Landon were...close," she hesitated, glancing over at Landon, who was watching her with fascination. I had a theory that I was the only one who could stop Malivore from rising, so I jumped into the pit. But I was wrong, it didn't kill him. I wasn't enough to stop him."  
"Dr. Saltzman, the note that was left for you to come find me at triad headquarters. She could've left it," Landon deduced as he glanced between Hope and Alaric, as he observed that Hope was holding his jacket in her hands.  
Alaric took all of this in. The story actually seemed plausible to him, but one detail was standing out to him.  
"Your last name is Mikaelson.. Any relation to Klaus Mikaelson?"  
"He was my father," Hope answered, fearing how he would react. She knew the headmaster had a complicated history with her father.  
Alaric nodded as he paced back and forth for a moment before taking his phone out of his pocket.   
"I am going to make a few calls to see if I can verify your story at all," he told Hope, who nodded in response. Alaric walked towards the door, but stopped when he noticed Landon wasn't walking with him. He turned to see Landon still standing at Hope's cell, staring at her with curious eyes. "Landon, come on," he called out to his student. Landon took one last look at Hope and then turned and followed Alaric out of the room.  
"Do you believe her," Landon asked. "Her story seems like it could be true to me."  
"I'm not sure if I believe her or not yet. Like I said, I'm going to go make some calls to try to get to the bottom of this. We will find out if she is lying, or if her story is true and she really is just the forgotten girl she claims to be. While I do that, you should try to go get some sleep."  
Landon nodded, deciding it was best not to argue. He left towards his room, and Alaric began to go through his phone, wondering who to call.  
Hope laid in the bed inside the small cell, Landon's jacket pulled close to her. She was glad she had it because it made her feel like he was there with her. She was really happy to be back, but she just wasn't sure how she was going to get everyone's memories back.  
Landon tossed and turned in his bed. He couldn't sleep, no matter how hard he tried. His mind kept drifting to the girl downstairs and what it meant if her story was true. For so long, he had felt like something was missing, and if she was telling the truth, she might be the thing that was missing. He sat up in bed, deciding that he wanted to know more. He stepped out of his room and made his way back to Hope's cell.  
Hope stands up and looks towards the door when she hears it open. Landon walks over to her cell and looks at her.  
"Hey," he said as he sat down on the floor next to the cage. "Can't sleep either?"  
"No, too much on my mind," she responded as she sat down too, the bars separating her and Landon. So close, yet so far. "You?"  
"I was just thinking about everything you said, and I was curious about some stuff."  
"Like what," she asked him, looking into his eyes. He was wearing green, which made his eyes green, and also made her heart do flips in her chest.  
"Like how you escaped Malivore, why you thought you would be able to stop him by doing that, why Dr. Saltzman seemed interested in your last name, and what you meant when you said we were close," he responded.  
"You ask a lot of questions," she remarked with a small laugh.  
"Wouldn't you?"  
She smiled, remembering something.  
"Why are you smiling," Landon asked.  
"Believe it or not, but we had a similar conversation to this one once before. But you were the one inside the cage, and I was the one sitting outside it."  
Landon remembered when he and Raf had first gotten to the school. He had been put into the same cage that Hope was now sitting in. He hadn't been able to sleep at all because of his fear of small spaces, but eventually, something had helped him sleep. He looked at Hope, and he felt like his heart was reaching out to her. It was like his body knew what his memories didn't. The feeling that was rising up within him was scary to him, because he had never felt this way before. He decided that maybe he should wait to see what Dr. Saltzman said before he got too close to Hope.  
"Well, Dr. Saltzman would kill me if he caught me down here, so I'm gonna try that sleep thing again," Landon declared as he stood up.  
"I guess you're the one running this time."  
Landon looked at Hope with confusion, then left the room. Hope sighed in frustration and ran her fingers through her hair. She just wanted everyone to remember her, especially Landon. She wanted him back, because she loved him. She looked around the cell, and became angry at the whole situation. She wished Landon actually remembered her, because he would probably know what to do to fix everything. Her boyfriend was smart, and would be able to figure out some solution. Then an idea popped into her head, but she couldn't carry out her goal from inside the cell, so she looked at the door, and with her magic, unlocked it. The door swung open, and she stepped out, grabbing Landon's jacket and putting it on. She left the room, and quietly snuck to the room belonging to Josie and Lizzie. She listened by the door, and when she didn't hear any noises coming from inside the room, she quietly opened the door. The twins were asleep in their beds, and Hope tried to be completely silent as she made her way to Lizzie's side of the room. She saw what she was looking for on a shelf, and reached out and grabbed it. In her hand, she held a small brown box, and when she opened it, she saw the prism that she had once used to talk to a version of Landon that her subconscious had created. She took the prism, and quietly left the room, shutting the door behind her. She walked until she reached the front door of the school, and stepped outside and walked to the lake. She set the prism down, and as the moonlight touched it, Landon appeared in front of her. He looked at her with love in his eyes, and she smiled.  
"Hi."  
...  
Landon felt like he had so much energy, and needed to let it out somehow, so he returned to his room and grabbed the bone whip that had belonged to the headless horseman. Landon had found it at Triad Industries when Dr. Saltzman had shown up to take him back to the school. He wasn't sure why he had taken it, but he had felt like he should. He started training with it, and realized that he was actually kind of skilled with it. So now whenever he needed to blow off steam, he had set up some dummies in the woods and would go practice using the whip on them. He left the building and walked to the spot in the woods where his dummies were set up. He begins training, wrapping the whip around one of the dummies' throats and throwing it to the side into another one. He swings it again and cuts one of the dummies clean in half at the waist. He is about to swing a third time when he hears voices. They sound like they are coming from the lake, so he starts heading in that direction.  
...  
"So you really can't think of a single way I can restore their memories," Hope asked the hologram version of Landon with a sigh.  
"Sorry. But you'll figure it out. You're Hope Mikaelson, and you can do anything you set your mind to, and nothing can stop you. It's one of the things that make me love you."  
Hope smiled at the sound of Landon telling her that he loved her, even if it wasn't the real him. She opened her mouth to ask another question when she heard someone walking towards her. She quickly grabbed the prism and put it in her pocket, the hologram version of Landon disappearing. She went into the woods, away from the sound of the footsteps, trying to get around them. If someone caught her outside her cell, it might hurt her chances of getting to stay. She could hear the footsteps behind her walking the other way as she started heading back towards the school. She breathed a sigh of relief as she accidentally stepped on a twig. It snapped under her shoe, and she heard a sound like something was cutting through the air. She ducked and looked up and saw a whip made of bones fly by right where her head had been seconds earlier. She spun around and looked at the person holding it, and was surprised to see Landon.  
"Are you crazy? I could've killed you," he snapped at her.  
...  
Hope walked side by side with Landon as they made their way back to the school. She felt at home with him, because he truly was her home. When they got to the final trees before they would reach the building, Landon stopped. He looked at Hope with a confused and curious expression, then stepped closer to her. She looked back at him, and they stared into each other's eyes. Hope couldn't take it anymore, and pulled him to her and kissed him. He kissed her back, and he was surprised how natural it felt to him as if he had kissed her a thousand times. They both pull away as they hear a noise, and turn and see a figure standing in the shadows. Hope watches as Clarke steps out of the shadows. She is shocked because she didn't know he had made it out of the darkness too. Clarke walked closer and pointed a gun at her.  
"This is for leaving me to die in that horrible place," he stated before he pulled the trigger. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Hope saw Landon jump in front of her, and the bullet enters his chest. He fell on the ground at her feet, bleeding from the mouth. Hope yelled out and let a wave of energy shoot out from her and hit Clarke, crushing his body and snapping his neck. He fell to the ground, and Hope immediately dropped to Landon's side and cradled his head in her lap as his eyes looked deep inside her.  
"You're gonna be okay," she informed him as he continued to bleed from the bullet wound.  
"It's time to wake up," he replied as blood dripped out of his mouth, his voice not sounding like his own.  
"What?"  
"It's time to wake up Hope."  
...  
Hope's eyes burst open and she quickly sits upright. Clarke stands beside her, looking impatient. She looks around and sees nothing but darkness.   
"We need to keep moving. Hurry up," Clarke said.  
Hope's eyes began to water and her heart shattered into a million pieces as she realized that it was all a dream, and she was still trapped in this horrible void.  
...

Next time: Landon draws a picture. Hope argues with a puddle.


	2. Dreams or Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Landon draws a picture. Hope argues with a puddle.

Volume 2: Of Monsters and Memories   
Chapter 2: Dreams or Memories  
Landon stepped through the front door of the Salvatore School and took a deep breath. He was extremely happy to be back at the school, but he desperately needed a change of clothes. He looked down at himself and saw nothing but ash covering him from head to toe. He had tried to brush it off, but it didn't seem to help. A girl with red hair walked in right behind him, almost no space between them. She wasn't letting him out of her sight after what had happened. Alaric and Raf entered next, with Kaleb and MG bringing up the rear. The girl grabbed Landon and held him close to her. Landon heard Alaric telling MG to go see Emma, and MG left, Kaleb following him. Alaric then pulled Raf to the side and told him that he needed to go and try to get some rest after the traumatic events of the last 24 hours. Raf looked at Landon, who was clutching the redhead as she buried her face in his chest. Raf nodded to Landon, then to Alaric, and left for his room.  
Landon focused on the girl in his arms as he held her as close as he could. She was squeezing him so tight he was worried she might break a rib, but he didn't mind.  
"I'm okay. I'm right here. Everything is okay," Landon whispered in her ear as Alaric walked towards them.  
"You both need to go get some rest. This has been a stressful night for everyone, but you need to try to sleep. We will talk about everything in the morning," said Alaric.  
"I'm not letting Landon leave my side," the girl informed the headmaster. "He's sleeping in my room tonight."  
Landon was surprised by her words, but remained silent. He watched as Alaric opened his mouth to argue, but seemed to think better of it and nodded instead.  
"I will allow it for tonight, but it is not something we are going to make a habit of. We have rules for a reason.'  
Landon makes a quick stop at his room, the girl at his heels, looking ready to fight any potential threats. He grabbed a change of clothes and informed Raf that he was going to be staying in her room for the night. After Landon changed his clothes, he followed the girl to her room. She opened the door and he stepped inside. As soon as she shut the door, she had her arms wrapped around him again, and she burst into tears as she buried her face in his chest. He held her close and let her cry until it seemed she had no more tears to cry. She looked up at him in a way that made it seem like she was trying to memorize every feature of his face.  
"I thought I lost you tonight," she told him as she looked into his eyes.  
"I told you before, I'll always fight to find my way back to you again," Landon replied as he leaned to kiss her.  
Landon jerked awake and sat up, frantically looking around. He had dreamed about her again, but he was beginning to wonder if they were dreams, or something more.  
"Who are you," he murmured to himself.  
...  
Landon walked through the school, looking around with purpose. He holds a piece of paper in his hand, and breathes a sigh of relief when he sees who he is looking for. Dr. Saltzman stands in the hallway talking with a teacher as Landon approaches.  
"Dr. Saltzman," Landon called out. "I need to talk to you."  
"Not today, Landon. Please, I have enough on my plate," Alaric pleaded with his student as he turned and walked the other way, not wanting to deal with Landon's crazy theory.  
"I dreamed about her again."  
"I told you to let it go Landon. They are just dreams, nothing more," Dr. Saltzman told his student before he walked away, leaving Landon alone in the hall.  
Landon fell against the wall, frustrated that the headmaster wouldn't even consider the possibility that what Landon was saying was true. He unfolded the piece of paper in his hand, and looked at the portrait he had drawn that morning. as he stared at the drawing, the eyes of the redhead from his dream stared back at him from the paper.  
...  
Hope's feet were killing her as she walked through the dark. Each time she stepped down, her feet would sink a bit into the ground, and she would have to struggle to pull them out. Each step made a disgusting sound, as the ground sucked at her feet, constantly trying to pull her further into the depths. There was no way of knowing how far she had walked or how much time had passed, but it felt like she had been walking forever, and yet, her surroundings never seemed to change. She looked behind her to find Clarke, walking with a smile on his face.  
"Why are you smiling," she asked him. 'Is something funny?"  
"Kind of, yeah. I still find it funny that your plan blew up in your face this spectacularly. You thought jumping into the pit would kill Malivore and save the world, but not only did you not kill Malivore, meaning you erased yourself for nothing, but now you're forced to rely on me, the guy you pulled into the pit with you, to escape. All you really ended up doing was delaying Malivore's rise, but I'm sure he will find a way to get around that."  
"You want out just as badly as I do. Are you sure this is the right way?"  
"This is the way I went the last time I returned. It's not much further actually, but it will get more dangerous as we get close to the door," Clarke informed her.  
"Great," Hope muttered. Her magic seemed weaker here, and she wasn't sure if she could win a fight at the moment. She was something in the distance, which was strange since their surroundings had been nothing but darkness for so long. She squinted, trying to get a better look. "What is that?"  
"That.. is my father."  
...  
Landon walked around the exterior of the school, pondering about what to do in regards to the girl in his dreams. He was pulled out of his head when he saw movement near the woods. A large black wolf stood at the border of trees, staring at Landon.  
"Hi Raf," Landon muttered. He knew that his brother wouldn't let him get close. Each time Landon had tried to go near him, Raf had turned and run the other way. The only person Raf would let near him was Jed, who had taken back alpha duties while Raf was trapped in that form. Dr. Saltzman wasn't sure how he had become stuck as a wolf, or how to change him back. Which meant that until they could find a way to revert him back to normal, Landon agreed to keep his distance, even though it hurt him inside. He began to walk back to the school doors when something else caught his eye. Near the school gates, another large black dog stood, looking around. At first, Landon thought it was Raf, but this dog almost seemed bigger and darker. As Landon stared at it, it turned and looked at him before it ran off. He could've sworn it looked like it had red eyes when it looked at him. Landon shook off the thought, dismissing it as just a large dog, and walked inside and headed for the library.  
...  
Lizzie held her head high as she walked through the halls. She looked at all the other students as she passed them, and took pride in how they all stared at her. All the guys loved her, and all the girls wished they could be her. She saw one guy she didn't recognize standing with his back against a wall, his arms crossed across his chest. He had dark hair, and blue eyes that seemed like they contained lightning storms in their depths. He wore a leather jacket, and Lizzie thought he was extremely attractive. She flashed him a seductive smile when he glanced over at her. He gave his eyes a slight roll and looked in a different direction. Lizzie was shocked by his reaction and walked past him. She saw Josie walking down the hallway, and grabbed her sister by the arm, pulling her to the side.  
"Ouch,' Josie said, rubbing her arm where her sister had grabbed her and dragged her. "Hello to you too."  
"Who is that guy over there," Lizzie asked, staring at the dark and mysterious stranger.  
Josie looked in the direction that Lizzie was indicating, and nodded when she realized who Lizzie was referring to.   
"That is Shawn Campbell, he's a wolf, and he started yesterday."  
"What's his deal," Lizzie asked. "He acted like he didn't find me attractive."  
"Not everyone has to find you attractive Lizzie. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm on my way to the library to do some research."  
Lizzie's jaw was practically on the floor as her sister walked away. How dare Josie even insinuate that not everyone would find Lizzie attractive. She turned back to look at the guy once again, deciding that she would find out everything she could about him.  
...  
Landon sat in the library, a pile of books at his side. Most of them were related to dreams, and dream interpretation. He had been researching what his dreams meant for weeks, ever since the redhead started appearing in them. He was hoping to figure something out about who she was, and her connection to him. As he read the page below him, the words began to blur together as his eyes became heavy.  
...  
Landon sat outside the Salvatore School, thinking of the events of the day. He had actually helped defeat the Oneiroi, and for the first time in his life, he felt like he actually belonged somewhere. He had also put all his feelings on the line, and things felt good between him and the girl. He was truly happy, which was a new feeling for him. He looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds and started to get up when he heard a sound behind him. He flipped around and saw the girl walking towards him.  
"There you are," she said as she came closer. "I've been looking for you."  
"Here I am," Landon replied. "It's funny, we can finally safely sleep, I'm not tired at all."  
"Me either. Probably just some leftover adrenaline from everything that happened today."  
Landon sits back down and she sits beside him, laying her head on his shoulder. He turned and kissed the top of her head as he put his arm around her. Landon felt a drop of water hit his arm and then almost immediately, it was pouring rain. The redhead and Landon both hopped up, running towards the school. Right before she reached the cover of the building, Landon grabbed her and pulled her back to him. He kissed her passionately and she matched his passion, wrapping her hand around the back of his head as they were soaked by the water. But Landon didn't care, because he knew, that she truly was his home.  
Landon sat up at the table and immediately reached for his journal. He had to write down everything before the dream faded from his memory. It was another piece to the puzzle, and another step closer to solving it.  
...  
"What do you mean that's your father? I thought this whole place was your father," Hope questioned Clarke as she looked at the thing in the distance. It somehow seemed even darker than the rest of the void, and looked like a puddle of tar similar to the one that she had jumped into.  
"That is technically true. Just think of this place as his body, and that as his mind," Clarke responded.  
Hope looked from Clarke, then back towards the puddle, unsure of what to do.  
"If that is his mind, why are we going towards it?"  
"Because we have to go past him to reach the door. It's the only way, but as soon as we get past him, that's when things get really hard. He won't just let us leave."  
Hope nodded, and began walking towards the puddle. She was determined to get out of this place, and wasn't going to let anything stand in her way. Clarke walked behind her, still tethered to her magically. She was sure he would've tried to double-cross her if he wasn't basically playing a long game of follow the leader. As they neared the puddle, Hope heard a booming voice that seemed to come from all around them.  
"Would you look at this," the voice bellowed. "The foolish tribrid and the mistake of a son. I must give you credit for making it this far, but your journey ends here."  
"I don't think so," Hope argued. "We are getting out of here."  
The voice laughed and Clarke stayed silent, watching the puddle closely. Hope noticed him watching it, and made a mental note to keep an eye on it.  
"If you do get out of here, then what? Do you really think you can stop what is coming?"  
"I do. I will find a way to kill you for good, just you wait," Hope responded.  
"We need to go," Clarke urged. "Around him, now."  
Hope looked at him, and saw him looking back at her with intensity. She nodded, and they began to step around the puddle. Clarke was walking backward, never taking his eyes off the puddle.  
"You are such a disappointment, my son. When I rise, you will be the first to die," Malivore said, his voice booming all around them.  
The puddle began to bubble, and Hope whirled around when she saw something burst out from it. There, standing in front of her, were three creatures that seemed to be made from the same material as the puddle. They roared at her and Clarke, then ran towards them incredibly fast.  
...  
Josie grabbed a book off the shelf. Her father had restored all the books with mentions of The Merge, and she had been studying every single one of them, hoping to find something that her father had missed. She walked back to her table but stopped when she saw Landon sitting at a table, writing quickly in his journal.  
"Hey Landon, how are you," she asked as she approached him.  
Landon stopped writing and looked up at her, carefully choosing what to say before he spoke.  
"Hey Jo, I'm alright. How are you?"  
"I'm okay. Working on anything I can help with?"  
Landon looked down at his notes, and all the books around him, unsure of what to say.  
"I'm just still trying to figure out my dreams and how that girl fits into them," he confessed to her.  
She nodded slowly, looking at his pile of books.  
"I've actually been thinking about your dilemma, and my advice would be to just continue sleeping and dreaming. The more you dream, the more information you can gather. Then you can decide if they are dreams or memories, and work from there."  
Landon looked up at her, and noticed the stack of books in her hands. He suddenly felt really bad, considering she had thought about his problem even though he hadn't asked her to.  
"Hey Jo," he began. "I'm really sorry I haven't been around much lately. I promised to help you with your merge research, and I have been really slacking on that."  
"It's okay. I know you've had a lot on your plate lately."  
"I have, but that's no excuse. I made a commitment to helping you, and I need to keep it. I know things have been weird since.. you know, but I am still here for you."  
"I am also still here for you," she told him. "Don't worry, as soon as you figure out your mystery, you can come help me with mine, okay?"  
"Okay," he replied with a smile. She returned his smile and walked back to her table. He was left alone, thinking about what she had said. He decided it was time to go get some sleep.  
...  
Lizzie was about to enter her next class when she saw that guy from earlier, Shawn, looking between a paper in his hand and all the classrooms with a frustrated look. He was about to walk past Lizzie when she tapped his arm.  
"Can I help you find something," she asked.  
He looked at her with a curious expression, as if he was trying to figure her out.  
"I'm looking for Werewolf Hierarchy 101, but this school is so big, I can't find anything."  
"I can show you where it is. Follow me."  
Lizzie started walking down the hall, and after a second of hesitation, Shawn fell into line behind her.  
...  
One of the creatures knocked Hope to the ground. She had been attempting to fight them, but nothing seemed to hurt them. Nothing she did was working, and she was losing hope. Clarke was also fighting one of the creatures, but seemed to be having less luck than Hope. He kept getting thrown around and scratched by its claws. She closed her eyes, feeling defeated. Her magic was too weak to beat them in this place, and she didn't know what to do. She was almost ready when she heard a voice.  
"Get up," the voice said. "You are stronger than this."  
Hope looked up and saw a young girl with red hair, blue eyes, and a face full of freckles. It took her a second to realize that the girl was her younger self.  
"I don't know how to beat these things," Hope replied to the younger Hope.  
"When has that ever stopped you before? You don't give up, ever. Don't you want to see Landon again?"  
Hearing Landon's name gave Hope a newfound strength. She nodded to her younger self, and forced herself to stand back up. The creatures saw her standing and all turned their attention back to her. She was about to start throwing different spells at them when she was blinded by a bright white light. It had been so long since she had seen any light, and it was disorienting. She looked over at the source of the light, and saw a figure, dressed in a black robe, holding a stone that was producing the light. The creatures retreated from the light and jumped back into the puddle. The figure put the stone in their pocket then ran forward and grabbed Hope's hand before running away from the puddle and the monsters within it. Clarke ran behind them, covered in cuts. They ran for a while before the figure stopped. Hope was out of breath from the fight and from running so far.   
"Who are you," Hope asked between breaths.  
The figure took off their hood, and turned to face Hope. Hope smiled when she realized who it was.  
"Seylah."  
...  
Landon refilled the woman's coffee, then walked back to the bar and looked around the restaurant. He enjoyed working at the Mystic Grill for the most part. His boss was really nice, and would usually offer Landon extra shifts. He knew that Landon needed the money, and was always really understanding. Aside from having to serve some jerks from his school from time to time, he was happy when he was working. He looked around his section of tables, and noticed a girl sitting in one of the booths, resting her head on her hand. She had red hair and was remarkably beautiful. He thought he recognized her from around town. She was probably one of the students that went to the fancy boarding school in Mystic Falls. The kids from Mystic Falls High normally didn't associate with them. As Landon watched the girl, he noticed that she looked sad. He stepped out from behind the bar and made his way over to her booth. She looked up at him as he came near, and he saw her wipe a tear away from her eye.  
"Hi,' Landon began to speak to her, noticing how blue her eyes were now that he was close. "Are you doing okay today?"  
"Ya, I'm okay," the girl replied. "Just a little homesick today."  
Landon nodded as he thought about how to respond. He decided the best course of action was to take her order.  
"Is there anything I can get for you," he asked, looking into the beautiful ocean inside her eyes.  
"Can I just have a peanut butter blast please," she responded as she sat up straighter.  
"Coming right up," he said with a smile before turning to go make her order.  
"Wait," the girl spoke quickly, catching Landon's attention. He spun around once more to look at her, and she began to speak once again. "Is it possible for you to put all the whipped cream on the bottom? I really like it like that."  
"Not a problem at all."  
Landon went back behind the bar and made the girl her milkshake to her specifications. When it looked perfect, he grabbed the cup, a napkin, and a spoon, and walked back to her booth.  
"One peanut butter blast with whipped cream on the bottom for the lady," he said as he presented the milkshake to her.  
"Thank you," she replied. "How much do I owe you?"  
Landon took a quick glance around before answering. "This one is on the house."  
"You don't have to do that, really," the girl began to protest.  
"It's kind of my policy that when someone is sitting in a restaurant alone and feeling homesick, that they don't have to pay for a milkshake. It's a very serious policy, and one that I intend to keep today," he told her with a smile.  
"Thank you," she said lightly with a small smile.  
"It's my pleasure. Let me know if you need anything else."  
Landon turned and was about to walk back to the bar when something stopped him. He couldn't explain it, but something was telling him that walking away from this girl would be the biggest mistake in his life. He slowly turned back towards her, already choosing his words wisely in his head.  
"Actually,' he began, "It's also part of Mystic Grill policy that we make sure every customer is happy while they are here, and I don't mean to intrude, but you look like you could use someone to talk to. My break is in ten minutes, and I could come and sit with you and we could talk about whatever is on your mind. If you want, I mean."  
The girl looked at him with a curious expression on her face, as if really seeing him for the first time. She smiled at him as she opened her mouth to answer him.   
"I'd really like that, actually."  
"Ok, then I will be back in ten minutes. My name is Landon by the way."  
"Hi Landon, I'm Hope."  
Landon bolted upright in bed, sweaty and out of breath. He smiled as he grabbed his journal and wrote a single word, speaking it out loud as he did.  
"Hope."  
...

Next time: Josie eats lunch. Landon talks to a goat. Hope looks for a door.


	3. A Quest for the Ages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josie eats lunch. Landon talks to a goat. Hope looks for a door.

Volume 2: Of Monsters and Memories   
Chapter 3: A Quest for the Ages  
Landon sat in the library, his head buried in a book. A few hours had passed since he had the dream and discovered that the girl's name was Hope. He was certain that the dreams were real now, and that Hope was out there somewhere. He changed his research tactics from studying dreams to studying different dimensions. When Alaric had picked him up from Triad, they were both confused about what had happened there. When they got back to the school, everyone had assumed that Landon had defeated the horseman and Malivore on his own. Landon didn't believe that he could've done any of that on his own, but he wasn't sure how to voice those doubts. Also, there was the mystery of who had told Dr. Saltzman to come find Landon in the first place. Landon was now convinced that the person that left the message was Hope. He had a theory that Hope had somehow ended up inside the pit, and that was why no one remembered her. He was keeping his theory to himself for the time being, since he wasn't sure if anyone would believe him. He closed the book he was reading, not finding anything useful. He began to reach for another one out of the pile he had made when he heard a peculiar noise. It sounded almost like a horse walking near him. He turned to look when a voice began speaking to him.  
"Please don't scream," the figure calmly spoke.  
Landon jumped up from the table and backed away from the figure. He stared at the being in front of him, unsure of how to process what he was seeing. It had the face and torso of a man, but it had legs that looked like they belonged on some kind of animal, possibly a goat. The creature also had small horns growing out his forehead, and a long mane of hair fell over his shoulders. He wore a brown vest over his torso that matched the hair that completely covered his legs. His feet weren't feet at all, instead, he had hooves. He stood before Landon with a calm demeanor, but Landon was still on guard.  
"What are you," Landon asked the creature as he looked at it from head to hoof.  
"I am a Satyr, my boy. You may call me Altair."  
"What do you want?"  
"I was wondering if you could help me find a Mr. Landon Kirby. It is of utmost importance that I speak to him."  
Landon considered how to handle this. He wasn't sure what this creature wanted with him, and was very apprehensive of the goat man. He took note of how calm and kind the Satyr seemed, and decided to see what he wanted.  
"I'm Landon Kirby. What can I do for you?"  
The Satyr immediately stood up taller and looked Landon in the eyes, before bending at the waist, and bowing.  
"I apologize for not knowing you were the one I am looking for. My master did not give me a description on what you would look like."  
"Who is your master?"  
"Nature, of course. She sent me to find you."  
"Nature is a woman?"  
"Why else would they call her mother?"  
"Okay, but why did she ask you to find me?"  
Altair looked deep into Landon's eyes, as if he was trying to see his soul.  
"She wants me to assist you with your quest," the Satyr informed Landon.  
"My quest?"  
"Yes. I was told to help you find Hope Mikaelson. The fate of the world depends on it."  
...  
"Are you alright," Seylah asked Hope as she walked over to her and lightly touched her on the arm.  
"I'm okay. Thanks to you."  
Clarke walked over to them and pointed at Seylah's jacket pocket.  
"What was that thing you used back there," he asked in a demanding tone.  
"It was a sunstone. it is said that they can cast light in even the darkest depths. When I knew there was a possibility of me returning to this place, I made sure to bring one with me. Who are you?"  
"His name is Clarke. He is one of Malivore's children, which kind of makes him Landon's half-brother. He's also generally a horrible person," Hope answered before Clarke could.  
Seylah looked over at Hope, regarding her with sad eyes.  
"What are you doing here Hope? I had thought that if I returned to Malivore, you and Landon would be safe."  
"Monsters kept coming after the keys. Clarke threw in the last one, and I thought that I was the thing that nature had created as a loophole to prevent Malivore from being truly immortal. I was wrong, but I didn't know that until after I had jumped into the pit."  
"And Landon? Is he okay?"  
"He was with me at Triad, but before I jumped into the pit, I called Dr. Saltzman and had him write a note to himself telling him where to find Landon. He will be fine," Hope reassured her.  
"He will not be fine. He lost you," Seylah responded.  
"He won't even remember me."  
"That's not entirely true," Clarke said with a smirk.  
"What do you mean," Hope asked as she turned around to face him.  
...  
Josie had spent all morning in the library, which is where she spent most of her days now. She had to find a way to get around the merge without her or her sister dying. She was taking a small break, and went to the cafeteria to get a salad. She sat down to eat it when Mr. Williams walked up to her.  
"Hey Josie, have you seen your dad," he asked.  
"Not today. I've been in the library all morning. Is something wrong?"  
Mr. Williams looked around for a second, and Josie could tell the question had made him uncomfortable.  
"No, nothing is wrong. I just need to talk to him about something he asked me to look into. Thanks, Josie, I'm sure I'll find him around here somewhere."  
"You're welcome, I guess," she responded, but Mr. Williams was already walking away. Josie shrugged, and stabbed her fork into her salad. She was raising the fork to her mouth when Lizzie sat across from her.  
"What did he want," Lizzie asked her sister.  
"Huh?"  
"Mr. Williams. What did he want?"  
"He was looking for dad."  
"Why?"  
"I'm not sure. He said he wanted to talk to dad about something that dad asked him to look into. Why? What's going on," Josie asked her sister.  
"I don't know, but dad has been acting strange the past few days. Have you noticed?"  
"Not really, but I've hardly seen him. I figured he must be busy."  
"Busy doing what is the question. I think he is hiding something again, and I'm gonna find out what it is."  
Josie was about to ask her twin what she was planning, but Lizzie was already walking away, heading in the direction Mr. Williams had gone.   
Josie looked down at her still untouched salad, and decided the library might be a quieter place to eat with fewer interruptions, so she grabbed her salad and walked out of the cafeteria.  
...  
It hadn't taken Lizzie long to catch up to Dr. Williams, and now followed him at a safe distance. He checked every room he passed, and eventually found Dr. Saltzman in a classroom talking to a teacher. Lizzie hid around the corner when they came into the hall, and glanced at them from her hiding spot. They were talking in hushed voices, and it seemed important. Lizzie was struggling to try to hear anything they were saying when she heard a voice from behind her.  
"What are you doing," Shawn asked with a curious smile on his lips, his stormy eyes regarding her with fascination.   
"Be quiet before they hear you," Lizzie whispered, pushing him back against the wall to make sure he wasn't seen by her father or Mr. Williams. "I'm spying on my dad."  
"Why?"  
"Because he has a history of keeping secrets, and I think he is doing it again. Now be quiet and tell me if you can understand anything they are saying."  
They both peeked around the corner, completely silent, trying to overhear the conversation. Shawn perked up for a second, and Lizzie looked at him.  
"Did you hear something," she asked him.  
"That teacher was telling your dad that they can't be certain that Triad took the ascendant, but if they aren't the ones that took it, then he isn't sure where it could be. Any of that make any sense to you?"  
"Some of it, but what the hell is an ascendant?"  
...  
"What do you mean by the fate of the world depends on it," Landon asked the Satyr.  
"I mean that if our quest isn't successful, then a lot of people will die. There is already a bad omen at this school, which means we must make haste."  
"Bad omen?"  
"Yes. A black dog has made this school its home for the time being. Have you seen it?"  
Landon was about to correct Altair and inform him that the wolf he saw was Raf when he remembered the other black dog he had seen, the one he was sure had red eyes.  
"I did see it actually. What is it?"  
"A black dog is a precursor of death, and the fact that it has made the school its home means that it senses that there will be death here in the near future. Some people refer to them as Hellhounds."  
Landon was absorbing the information when he was distracted by Altair gasping loudly.  
"Who is that beautiful Nymph," Altair asked, a huge grin on his face.  
Landon looked up to see Josie entering the library, a salad in her hand. He looked over at Altair, who was looking at Josie like she was a snack.  
"That is Josie, and you need to calm down," Landon replied.  
"We must begin our journey, but we need her to accompany us," the Satyr informed Landon.  
"Why does she need to come with us?"  
"In case we have some free time."  
Landon rolled his eyes, but Altair was already walking over to Josie.  
"Altair wait," Landon hissed quietly as he followed the Satyr.  
Josie opened the lid on her salad, and was about to take a bite when she saw a strange figure out of the corner of her eye. She looked over and saw Altair walking towards her with a goofy smile on his face. She almost screamed before she saw Landon, walking quickly towards the creature.  
"Landon what the hell is this thing," she asked him.  
"Hey, Jo. Meet Altair, he is a Satyr who has apparently come to help me with a quest."  
"A quest?"  
"Yes. To find Hope."  
"Who's Hope?"  
"The girl I have been dreaming about."  
Josie looked at Altair, then back at Landon.  
"Our lives are weird," she remarked.  
"It is nice to you meet you, my lady. You are very beautiful," Altair said as he bowed to Josie.  
"Um, thank you, I guess."  
Altair seemed to realize something, and he stood up straight and looked at Josie.  
"Wait, your name is Josie? Are you Josette Saltzman?"  
'Yes. Do you know me?"  
"I know of you. I wasn't expecting to meet two of the chosen on the same day."  
"What do you mean the chosen," Landon asked him.  
"That is for another day. For now, we need to go, and she needs to come with us."  
"Go where?"  
"The last place you saw Hope Mikaelson."  
Landon thought to himself before it dawned on him. "Triad Industries."  
Josie looked down at her salad, sighed to herself, and pushed it aside. "Okay let's go."  
...  
"Landon wouldn't have completely forgotten about you like everyone else. He would have flashes of memories with you in them, and they would confuse him. They would cause him to feel like something is missing in his life, and nothing would fill that void. It would drive him crazy until his whole life falls apart. I kind of wish I could see it," Clarke informed Hope with a chuckle.  
"Why would he remember? He didn't remember us meeting Seylah."  
"He connected with you on a much deeper level, and the deep memories stay with the children of Malivore. If someone they had a real connection with was sent into the pit, they would remember some things about that person. Trust me, I know."  
Hope began to imagine Landon feeling empty and alone, thinking something was missing. She imagined him sitting alone, thinking that something was wrong with him."  
"I have to get out of here. Now," Hope insisted.  
"The door is not much further, but there is a problem," Seylah replied.  
Hope looked at Landon's mother with concerned eyes. "What problem?"  
"The door is locked."  
Clarke perked up and looked over at Seylah. "That's impossible."  
"Come with me," she replied. "I will show you."  
...  
Lizzie and Shawn entered the school cafeteria. Lizzie was on a mission. She looked around the cafeteria until she spotted who she was looking for. She walked over and sat across from MG. Shawn took the seat next to her as MG looked at them both.  
"Hey Lizzie," he said. "Is everything okay?"  
"Do you know anything about something called an ascendant."  
MG pondered this before answering. "I don't think so. Why?  
"My dad and Mr. Williams are looking for one that went missing, and I want to know what is so important about it."  
MG nodded at the blonde. "That makes sense." He then turned to Shawn. "And you? What's your involvement in this?"  
"She got me involved in it, and now I'm genuinely curious. I like a good mystery," Shawn replied.  
"Well, I'm not sure what an ascendant is, but I can help you find out."  
"Thanks, MG," Lizzie beamed. "I knew I could count on you."  
...  
Landon, Josie, and Altair stepped out of the car. Landon felt like he had been driving forever, and knew that if Dr. Saltzman found out they had left, he would kill them. They stood in front of the gate of Triad Industries, but it was chained shut, and the building looked abandoned.   
Landon looked at the big lock on the gate, then at Josie and Altair. "Any ideas on how to get in?"  
Josie grabbed Landon's shoulder, and her hand lit up with red energy. She then waved her hand and the lock broke. The chain fell off the gate, and the gate opened up.  
Landon looked at Josie, then back at the gate, shrugging. "That'll work."  
They got back into the car and drove the rest of the way to the building. They exited the car and walked inside. Landon was surprised to see all the bodies that had littered the floor the last time he was here were gone. They walked through the empty corridors until they reached the room where Landon had woken up with no memory of how he had gotten there. In the middle of the room sat the hole where the black pit used to be.  
"Now what," Landon asked.  
...  
Hope and Clarke followed Seylah to a small white door that seemed out of place in the darkness. Clarke immediately walked up to it and turned the knob, pulling on the door hard, but it would not budge.  
Clarke slammed his hand on the door. "This is impossible. I've didn't even know this door could lock.  
"The door on the other side must have been closed, which means there is nowhere for this door to lead," Seylah replied.  
Hope looked between them, anxiety building inside of her as the hope of getting out of this place began to dwindle. "Now what?"  
...  
"You need to bleed into the pit," Altair informed him.  
Landon looked at the Satyr like he was crazy. "Excuse me?"  
"This side of the door is closed. To reopen it, it needs your blood. Not much, a few drops will suffice."  
Landon stepped up to the hole in the ground and looked in, then looked back at Altair. "Do you have something sharp?"  
Altair reached into the pocket on his vest and produced a small blade. "I do indeed."  
Josie watched Landon take the blade from the Satyr, still unsure if they could trust him. "Landon, are you sure about this?"  
"If it can help bring back Hope, then yes. I'm sure."  
Landon cut his hand with the blade, wincing as he did, then returned it to Altair. He then held his hand over the hole in the ground, and watched as a drop of blood dropped in and hit the ground.  
"Please let this work," Landon muttered to himself.  
...  
Clarke paced back and forth, angrily muttering to himself. Hope sat on the ground next to the door, and Seylah stood near her. Hope felt a warmth behind her, and looked back to see a bit of light coming out from the door. She stood up, and her and Seylah looked at each other. Hope grabbed the doorknob and slowly turned it. To her surprise, it turned, and she felt the door begin to open. She heard a sound behind her and looked to see the creatures that Seylah had saved them from racing towards them. Clarke quickly moved towards the door, and pushed Hope out of the way, knocking her to the ground. He opened the door, and light burst out from the opening.   
"I was never going to let you escape with me," Clarke informed her. "You're too much trouble."  
Seylah grabbed Clarke and threw him away from the door. One of the monsters grabbed him and started cutting at him as Hope stood up. She ran to the door, and reached her hand out for Seylah. Seylah moved towards Hope as one of the creatures shot a tendril out of its arm. It hit Seylah in the shoulder, and dug in. Seylah yelled out, and Hope grabbed her hand, trying to pull her away from the creature.  
"Tell Landon to always look for the light," Seylah said to Hope right before she was yanked away by the creature.  
"No," Hope screamed out as she tried to move towards Seylah, but the light from the door became way too bright to see anything. Hope turned back towards the door, and everything went white.  
...  
Landon, Josie, and Altair stared at the pit as a white light filled it. They had to shield their eyes because it was so bright. When the light disappeared, they looked at the pit to see a girl sitting in the bottom of the hole. Josie gasped as she realized the girl was the same girl Landon had drawn a picture of, meaning that he had been right. Hope looked up at the three of them, and tears filled her eyes.  
"Landon," she choked out as tears fell down her face. She had never been so happy to see anyone in her entire life.  
Landon leaned down beside the hole and reached his arm out. Hope grabbed his hand, and he pulled her out of the hole. As soon as she was out, she had her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him tight. Landon wasn't sure what the correct response was, but his heart began beating really hard as he returned her embrace. They stayed like that for a long time before she leaned back and looked into his eyes.  
Do you remember me," she asked him with a hopeful tone.  
"I saw certain things that I think were memories in my dreams, but I don't fully remember you. I'm sorry."  
"It's okay. We will find a way to restore your memories. All of your memories."  
Hope looked at Josie, and smiled at her. "Hi, Jo."  
"Hi. I guess he was right. You are real."  
Hope laughed, so happy to be back with people she cared about. She looked over at the third individual, and became extremely confused.  
"Landon, is there a goat-man standing there," she asked.  
"This is Altair. He was sent to help me find you. Speaking of which," Landon began as he walked over to the Satyr. "Thank you for helping me with this quest. I really appreciate it. I guess this is goodbye."  
Altair looked puzzled as he looked at Landon. "Why would this be goodbye?"  
"You were sent to help me with the quest to find Hope. That quest is over now. I just assumed you would be returning to your home."  
"Oh, my dear boy, I'm terribly sorry. Finding Hope was not the quest, it was merely the first step. This is to be a quest for the ages, and I'm afraid it has barely begun."  
...

Next time: Hope adjusts to life out of the pit. Lizzie becomes a detective. Josie has a phone call. Landon looks for a crystal.


	4. The First Crystal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the hiatus. This will be updated much more regularly now

Volume 2: Of Monsters and Memories   
Chapter 4: The First Crystal  
Josie paced back and forth, thinking about everything that had happened in the past few hours. She had met a Satyr, traveled across several states to get to Triad Industries, and they had found the girl that Landon had been dreaming about. Now the Satyr had informed Landon that their journey had just begun, and she felt like she was going crazy. So much was happening, and she didn't know what to do about any of it. She finally leaned against a wall and lowered herself down, and looked at Landon, Hope, and Altair.  
"So if finding Hope wasn't the quest, then what exactly is the quest," Landon asked.  
"First, we must restore your memories, and then we must destroy Malivore before he accomplishes his goal," the Satyr replied.  
Hope was staring at Landon, still in disbelief that she was seeing him. When she had jumped into the pit, she had thought it would be the last time she would see him. She was so happy to be back and be near him. She looked over at Altair as a question formed in her mind. "What is his goal?"  
"To rise and claim his vessel, at which point he will begin his task of destroying everything that crosses his path until there is nothing left."  
"Well, that's lovely," Hope replied as she leaned against a pillar.  
"Hopefully we will be able to stop him before that happens. It is a pleasure to meet you, by the way, Miss Mikaelson. I truly wasn't expecting to meet three of the chosen in one day."  
"The chosen, you mentioned that before. What is that," Landon asked him.  
"That is a complicated question, and we do not have time for me to answer it at the moment. We must be on our way."  
Josie finally spoke up as she stood up from the ground. "Where are we going?"  
"To find the Rememberance Crystal."  
...  
Lizzie stood in front of the Codex in the library, moving the dials to spell out the word ascendant. MG and Shawn sat at a nearby table, sizing each other up. Lizzie moved the final dial into place and watched as a singular book moved on one of the shelves. She grabbed it and then sat at the table with MG and Shawn. She checked the index at the back of the book, then flipped to the page referencing the word Ascendant. MG and Shawn stood up and looked at the page over her shoulder. On the page was a drawing of a circular device with several gears surrounding a small round piece in the center.  
"An Ascendant is a mystical relic that harnesses the power of a celestial event to create a portal to a different dimension and allow a person to travel through it," Lizzie read aloud from the page. "This thing looks really familiar. I've seen something like this before."  
"Where," Shawn asked.  
"I'm not sure."  
"Hey guys, what's going on," Alaric asked as he walked into the library.  
Lizzie quickly shut the book and looked up at her father. Shawn leaned back against the table, and MG started shifting uncomfortably.  
"Just hanging out daddy. What are you up to," Lizzie asked as she looked into her father's eyes.  
Alaric looked at the three students with a curious expression. Something told him they were doing something they shouldn't be doing, but it would have to wait until later.  
"Do you know where your sister is?"  
"I actually haven't seen her at all today. Why? Is something wrong?"  
"Nothing is wrong. I just wanted to talk to her about Landon. I'm really starting to worry about him. I also can't seem to find him either."  
Lizzie groaned in disgust. "They better not be canoodling. I hope Josie is smart enough not to relapse and fall off that hipster wagon."  
"If you see either of them, can you tell them I'm looking for them," Alaric asked the three students.  
"Will do daddy," Lizzie responded as the boys nodded. Alaric turned and left the library, and as soon as he was gone, Lizzie reopened the book. "Now where have I seen you before?"  
...  
Clarke hobbled his way back to the door. He had finally escaped his father's minions and was ready to get out of the darkness. The door was shut when he reached it, and would not budge as he pulled on it. He looked around him at the darkness and laughed to himself.  
"Really father," he spoke into the void. "Are you really going to hold me in here?"  
He waited a moment but didn't get any response. "I'm of more use to you out there than I am in here. If you release me, I can get you your annoying little meat suit. I'll deliver him right to you, I swear."  
A small light appeared behind him, and he turned and saw the door open a crack, and light flowing through.  
"Wise choice," Clarke said with a grin as he walked towards the light.  
...  
"Remembrance Crystal? What's that," Landon asked.  
"It is one of six crystals that were forged by the world's first witches to stop a great evil. They were scattered across the world and hidden so that no one could use their power. The Remembrance Crystal can be used to remember anything that is forgotten, which makes it the perfect tool to restore your memories," Altair responded.  
"If they were hidden, how are we going to find it," Josie questioned the Satyr.  
"My master gave me the location of this one crystal because she knew we would need it on our quest. But we must make haste."  
Hope stood in the corner, feeling a little uncomfortable. She kept finding herself glancing at Landon, and she knew it must be weirding him out. Without his memories of her, he didn't know the extent of their relationship. She looked at the Satyr as she collected her thoughts. "Where are we going?"  
"Back to the Salvatore School. We need some supplies."  
The group began to leave when Landon saw something laying on the ground. He recognized it as the whip that the Headless Horseman had used. He picked it up and looked at it. He felt as if he had used it before, but he couldn't remember what he had used it for. He decided to take it with him and worry about it later.  
...  
Dennis Collins walked through the woods, kicking at twigs, thinking that tonight couldn't get any worse. He had visited his girlfriend's house for the first time and finally met her parents, and her dad had hated him. He wasn't even sure what he had done to make the man so angry. He had just told Dennis to leave his house and stay away from his daughter. Dennis had left the house, but he fully planned to get the man's approval. He wasn't raised to be a quitter, and nothing could keep him down. He decided to go back to his girlfriend's house and have a civilized conversation with her father. He turned around and started walking the way he came when he heard a noise. It sounded like an animal was nearby. He could hear it moving in the trees around him. He picked up a long stick, hoping it wasn't a wolf. He stepped around a tree and saw the source of the noise. It wasn't an animal. It looked almost like a man, but it was leaned over, walking with it's hands as well as it's feet. It had gray skin that was pulled tight over it's body, exposing it's muscles and veins. It turned to look at Dennis, and he saw that it had red eyes and very sharp teeth. It ran with unnatural speed towards Dennis, opening it's mouth as he screamed out into the night.  
...  
Landon, Hope, Josie, and Altair exited the vehicle and walked towards the entrance to the school. The entire car ride had been mostly silent, with no one knowing what to say. Altair handed Josie a list of supplies they would need, and she left to go get them. Hope was walking around the entrance hall, touching the walls as if they themselves had memories attached to them. Landon watched her with a quiet fascination as she looked around. He had seen her in his dreams, but to have her here now, it was completely different. It was as if his heart was longing for her, even if his mind couldn't remember why.   
"She truly is a beauty," Altair said as he stood next to Landon. "I would let that goddess play my flute anytime she wanted."  
Landon gave the Satyr a little slap on the back of the head, rolling his eyes. "Knock it off."  
"My apologies, sir."  
"I'll be back," Landon told Altair as he walked over to Hope, calling out to her. "Hey."  
"Hey," she responded with a smile.  
"There's something I need to go get from my room. Are you going to be okay here for a minute?"  
"Ya, I'll be fine."  
"Alright, I'll be right back," Landon replied as he walked away. He entered his room and immediately went to the trunk at the end of his bed. He opened it up and moved some clothes to the side. He came to a wooden box and smiled to himself as he picked up the box and grabbed the small green card that was tied to the box and began to read:  
L,   
I was really struggling to try to find you the perfect gift for your birthday. I wanted it to be something special, and then i remembered that you told me about how you lost your first chess set in a fire, and I knew what to get you. I really hope you like it. One of these days I'm going to beat you in a match. Happy birthday.  
With Love, J  
Landon opened the box and looked at the beautifully designed board and the intricate chess pieces. Josie had used magic to carve each piece herself. It was the most beautiful chess set he had ever seen. Every detail was flawless, and he knew Josie must've taken a long time to make sure each piece and the board itself was perfect. Landon closed the box and carefully tied the card back to it. He reached back into the trunk and found what he had been looking for, a long crossbow and a quiver of arrows that Jeremy Gilbert had given him. Dr. Saltzman had asked Jeremy to give Landon some fight training. It had been a disaster at first, but Landon had slowly started to get the hang of it. He even had been a natural at shooting a crossbow, which had surprised Jeremy, Dr. Saltzman, and himself. Jeremy had gifted him the crossbow as a reward for doing a good job with it. Landon wasn't sure what they were about to walk into, but he figured it was better to be prepared. He grabbed the crossbow and the quiver and left the room, heading back towards the entrance hall.  
...  
Hope paced back and forth, growing restless. Both Landon and Josie had been gone for a while, and she was eager to go get this crystal that would restore everyone's memories.  
"I'm gonna go see what's taking them so long," Hope told Altair as she started to walk away.  
"I'm not sure if that is a good idea, miss Mikaelson," Altair responded, but Hope was already gone.  
Hope headed in the direction of the dorm rooms, looking back to see if the Satyr was following after her. She saw that he was remaining where he was, which was fine with her. She wasn't sure what to think of him just yet. She looked ahead again as she turned a corner, colliding with someone. They both dropped to the floor, and the books the person had been carrying flew all over the place.   
"I am so sorry, that was my fault," Hope said as she quickly grabbed the books and held them out to the person, looking at them for the first time. She had to stop herself from gasping as she realized who it was.  
"No kidding," Lizzie said as she grabbed the books out of Hope's hands. "Try watching where you're going, okay?"  
"I will. I'm sorry again."  
Lizzie looked at Hope with quizzical eyes. "Do I know you? Are you a new student?"  
"I um-," Hope began before she was interrupted.  
"Hope, there you are. I've been looking everywhere for you," Josie said as she walked over and stood next to Hope. "Hey, Lizzie. I see you've met Hope. Dad asked me to show her around."  
"We usually do the tours together. Why didn't he ask me to help," Lizzie asked.  
"Maybe he thought you were busy," Josie responded as she gestured at the books in Lizzie's arms. "Doing some studying?"  
Lizzie nodded as she looked down at the books. "I am actually, and I need to get back to it. Have fun with your tour. It was nice to meet you, Hope. You'll love it here."  
Lizzie walked away, eager to get back to MG and Shawn and find out more about this mysterious Ascendant. She passed Landon in the hall and saw him holding a crossbow.  
"Going to Mordor are we, Frodo?"  
Landon glanced down at the crossbow in his hands, then back to Lizzie. "No, just going to do some target practice." He noticed the books she was carrying. "I didn't you could read Lizzie."  
Lizzie sneered at him before walking away. Landon walked up to Hope and Josie. "We all good to go," he asked.  
"Yup. Let's go get your goat man and get out of here," Josie replied.  
They walked back into the entrance hall and found Altair waiting patiently. They left the school and got back into the car. As Hope was entering the vehicle, she thought she saw a large black dog in the trees, but when she blinked, it was gone. It must've been a shadow from the trees playing a trick on her mind.  
...  
Alaric and Dorian stood in the old mill, which had become their place for secret meetings since they could no longer use the headmaster's office. The council had voted, and Alaric was allowed to stay on as a teacher at the school, but his headmaster's duties had been revoked. Jeremy and Dorian were filling in for him as Caroline looked for a replacement.   
"Any luck finding Josie or Landon," Dorian asked.  
"No one has seen them. I'm hoping they went into town for something. I'm really starting to get worried about Landon. He is becoming obsessed with that girl he's seeing in his dreams."  
"You could just tell him that we know that at least one other person was there with him when Malivore was destroyed. There is a good possibility that it is the girl he is dreaming of."  
"Even if it was the girl that he's dreaming of, that means that she went into the Malivore pit and we don't know if there is a way to get her back. Until we know more, I don't want to tell him anything," Alaric told his colleague. "Plus that is not the only problem we have to deal with. We also have the fact that the Ascendant is missing, and we need to find it before someone accidentally opens it."  
Dorian was about to respond when they heard someone screaming. They ran out of the old mill and saw a young boy sprinting through the woods, constantly looking behind him. He tripped over a tree root and fell over into the dirt. Alaric and Dorian ran to help him.  
"What's wrong," Alaric asked the boy.  
"There's something in the woods," the boy replied. "It tried it to eat me. I ran away, and it chased me for a little while, but then it seemed to give up."  
Alaric saw that the boy's arm was bleeding from a deep bite mark.   
"Let's get him to the school, then I'll go see what's out there," Alaric told Dorian as they helped the boy to his feet.  
...  
"Where exactly am I going," Landon asked from behind the wheel. He had been driving for about an hour, following Altair's directions.  
"It's not much further now. A bit down the road actually."  
"Luckily for us, this crystal wasn't too far away from the school," Josie remarked.  
"I think that might have been by design, my dear," Altair responded. "I believe you three were always meant to find it, so it's logical that it was hidden close to where you would end up."  
Hope looked out the window at all the trees they passed. The closer they got, the more excited she became. "Hopefully you're right about where to find it."  
"You can pull over here, Mr. Kirby."  
Landon pulled the car to the side of the road, and the four of them exited the vehicle. Josie grabbed the bag of supplies she had gotten from the school, and Landon grabbed his crossbow.  
"You know how to use that thing," Hope jokingly asked him.  
"I've got a few skills up my sleeve," Landon replied.  
They started following Altair up a steep hill. It was a difficult climb, and within minutes, they were all out of breath. They stopped to take a breather when they heard a twig snap behind them. They all spun around, and Landon noticed that Altair suddenly looked like a regular man. They watched as a young man walked out from the trees, around their age. He had his hands raised above his head, and he was looking at the crossbow in Landon's hands.  
"No need to shoot, my friend," he spoke with a bit of an accent, possibly British.  
"I'm not gonna shoot you," Landon replied, lowering the crossbow so that the man didn't think they were a threat.  
"Who are you,' Hope asked him, wondering what another person was doing way up here.  
"The name is Jax, and I'm judging by the hardware your friend is carrying, that you lot are hunting something. Am I right?"  
"Hunting something," Josie laughed. "No, he just wanted to bring his crossbow on our hike. Thought he could get some target practice in.  
"I'm sure," Jax replied. 'Are you sure you're not hunting something? Vampires for example?"  
Hope looked at Jax with confused eyes, trying to convince him they knew nothing of vampires even though her mind was racing wondering who he was. "Vampires? Are you serious? Vampires are a myth."  
"My mistake then," Jax said with a smile. "I'll let you be on your way."  
He walked down the hill as the four of them watched him. They waited a few minutes before anyone spoke.  
"Who was that guy," Landon asked.  
"Maybe he's looking for the crystal too," Josie responded.  
"Then we must make sure we find it first," Altair said as he began walking up the hill again. Landon and Josie followed him. Hope took one last look in the direction Jax had gone before she fell into line behind the rest of them. They climbed the hill until they reached the top, and found a small cave. They walked inside and looked around, but found nothing.  
"Is this it," Landon asked. "Where's the crystal."  
Altair chuckled to himself at Landon's question. "Ye of little faith. Miss Saltzman, can you bring me the supplies I asked you to gather?"  
Josie handed him the bag of supplies, and he pulled out some flour, poured it onto his hand, and blew it onto one of the walls. The flour revealed seven spots on the wall, in the shape of hands.  
"We do not have all seven, but three should work," Altair said as he produced a small knife from the bag. "Please step forward, each of you."  
Landon, Hope, and Josie all stepped towards the Satyr, who made a small cut on each of their hands.  
"Now place your hands on the wall where you see the marks."  
The three of them each placed their hands on the wall, and they immediately felt it begin to shake. The wall then blasted inward, revealing a much larger cave. They stepped inside, in awe of the size of the cavern. their gaze immediately went to a huge painting on one of the walls of the cavern. They approached it slowly, looking at it with wonder. The painting depicted seven figures fighting two dark forms. As Landon looked closer at the painting, he noticed something.   
"Is this us," he asked.  
Hope and Josie looked closer and saw that the painting did seem to be depicting them. Six of the seven figures resembled Hope, Landon, Josie, Lizzie, Raf, and MG.  
"Who is this," Hope asked as she pointed at the seventh figure, a girl with red hair and stormy green-gray eyes.  
"She looks like she has the same color hair as you Hope," Josie remarked.  
Landon looked from the painting back to Altair. "What is this?"  
"The painting depicts The Chosen in the great battle. Legend says that seven chosen warriors would clash against a great darkness, and that the fate of the world would rest on their shoulders."  
"Who is the girl," Hope asked him.  
"I'm afraid if I reveal that bit of knowledge, it could alter events and make it harder for you to succeed in that battle. We must get going. I believe the crystal is in the just up ahead. "  
Altair and Josie walked past the painting and continued on into the cave. Hope and Landon continued to look at the painting. Hope noticed Landon had a funny look on his face.  
"Is everything okay," She asked him.  
"Yeah, it's just weird seeing this painting. According to this, I'm supposed to help everyone stop a great evil, but I've been thinking that the school would've been better off if I had never ended up there,"  
"That's not true at all," she told him. "The school is better off because you ended up there, and so am I."  
He looked at her as she smiled at him, and he smiled back. "Thanks."  
She nudged him softly with her shoulder. "Come on, let's catch up with the others."  
As they were walking away, they both noticed new things about the painting. Landon noticed that he was holding a long sword with different colored rocks built into the hilt. Hope noticed that even though the mystery girl did seem to have her hair, she also seemed to have Landon's eyes.  
...  
Lizzie paced back and forth in the library, becoming frustrated with the whole situation. She knew she had seen something that looked similar to the ascendant before, she just didn't know where.   
"Why can't I figure out where I've seen that thing before," she groaned.  
"You'll figure it out. Don't worry," MG reassured her.  
"Yeah. Relax Nancy Drew. You'll figure out the mystery," Shawn joked.  
"Does that make the two of you my Hardy Boys," Lizzie asked.  
Before either of them could answer, Alaric and Dorian entered the library, steadying a boy between them. The boy was bleeding badly from his arm.  
"What's going on Daddy," Lizzie asked as she moved towards her father. MG pulled out a chair so they could set the boy in it.  
"I'm not sure," Alaric replied as he sat the boy down. "He said something attacked him in the woods."  
"It was awful," the boy whimpered.  
Alaric put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "What's your name?"  
"Dennis."  
"Okay Dennis, You're safe now. It can't hurt you," Alaric spoke before looking at his three students. "Will you guys stay with him? I need to go see what's in the woods."  
"Of course daddy. Be careful." Lizzie replied as her father and Dorian left the room.  
...  
Hope and Landon caught up to Josie and Altair, who were standing in front of a pedestal with a small red crystal sitting on top of it.  
"The Remembrance Crystal," Altair remarked. "Isn't it beautiful?"  
Hope reached out to grab it, but Landon grabbed her arm, stopping her.  
She looked at him with a confused expression. "What?"  
"Haven't you seen Raiders of the Lost Ark? You pick up something sitting on a pedestal like this, and it'll probably set off a trap, and we will have to run away from a giant boulder before it crushes us."  
"This isn't a movie Landon. Everything will be fine," Hope replied as she reached out once again and grabbed the crystal from the pedestal. Suddenly all the walls started to shake and rocks began to fall from the ceiling.  
Landon looked at her with an I-Told-You-So look. "You were saying?"  
...  
Alaric and Dorian walked through the woods where they found Dennis, looking around for any creature that might jump out at them. Alaric had a crossbow raised, ready to shoot anything.  
"You didn't have to come out here with me," Alaric informed Dorian.   
"Yes, I did. You needed someone to watch your back, and since you aren't wanting to put any of the kids in danger again, I'm gonna be the one watching your back."  
"Well, I appreciate it."  
Alaric stopped walking when he noticed blood on the ground. He gripped the crossbow tighter and slowly walked forward, following the drops of blood. They finally came to the source of the blood: A body lying facedown in the dirt. Alaric leaned down and turned it over.  
"What the hell."  
Even with huge chunks of skin missing from the body, Alaric could tell that the body belonged to Dennis.  
"So if this is Dennis-" Dorian began.  
Alaric finished his sentence. "Then what the hell is at the school?"  
...  
Lizzie handed the boy a glass of water. He had calmed down a bit and seemed relaxed now.  
"You know, I think an old friend of mine goes to this school now. I would love to say hi," Dennis said.  
"Who is it," MG asked.  
"Landon Kirby."  
"Oh yeah, he goes here. I'm not sure where he is at the moment though," MG responded.  
"Maybe I'll end up running into him before I leave."  
...  
Landon, Hope, Josie, and Altair ran out of the cave right as the ceiling collapsed and blocked the entrance. Hope was holding on tightly to the crystal.   
"Well that was close," Josie muttered.  
"Like I said, Raiders," Landon replied.  
"Yes, well, at least we have the crystal," Altair remarked.  
"About that-," a new voice said.  
They turned to see Jax walking out from behind a tree.   
"I'm not sure how you got that, but I'm gonna be taking it now."  
"No, you're not,' Hope informed him, ready for a fight.  
"Actually love, I am," Jax replied as he pulled out a small remote from his pocket and pushed a button on it. Metal cords shot out of little remote-controlled guns hidden in the trees. The cords wrapped around their arms and legs, and Jax pushed another button on the remote, and an electric current moved through the cords and zapped the four of them. They all yelled out in pain as Jax walked up and pulled the crystal out of Hope's hand.   
"You're making a huge mistake," Hope told him as she tried to concentrate on her magic to release herself from the cords, but the electric current was making it too hard to focus.  
"Until next time love," he replied. "The electric current will stop in 15 minutes, but I'll be long gone by then."  
Hope yelled at him as he ran off, taking the one thing she could use to be remembered with him.  
...  
Alaric ran as fast as he could back to the school. He entered the building and ran towards the library. He got to the library and immediately shot a crossbow bolt at the thing pretending to be Dennis. The bolt hit the creature in the shoulder.  
Lizzie looked from Dennis to her father. "What the hell daddy. What's going on?"  
The thing pretending to be Dennis screeched at Alaric with a sound that was anything but human. It ripped the bolt out of it's shoulder and jumped onto the ceiling, screeching again before jumping from the ceiling onto one of the walls and out the library door.  
"What that hell was that thing," MG and Shawn said in unison.  
...  
Hope, Landon, Josie, and Altair rode back towards the Salvatore School in silence. They had tried to find Jax once the electric current had stopped, but it had been no use. They had failed in their mission, and now had no idea how to find the Remembrance Crystal. Hope was beyond upset. She thought everyone was going to remember her before the day was over, but it looked it wasn't going to be that easy now.  
"We'll find him," Landon stated from behind the wheel. "You guys will do a locator spell or something, and we will find him, get the crystal, and fix everything."  
"And next time we will be prepared to face him," Josie added.  
Hope was boiling with rage. When she found Jax, she was going to kill him.  
...  
Alaric walked through the school, his crossbow raised, ready to fire again on the creature. He had no idea what it was or how to kill it, and he was mentally kicking himself for bringing it into the school. He should've found out more about the situation before he made that mistake. Although he wasn't expecting a monster to be able to take the form of someone it had killed. Lizzie, Shawn, and MG walked behind him. Dorian had stayed behind in the library to try and find out what they were dealing with. Alaric heard the creature screeching once again, this time sounding like it was coming from outside.   
"Here we go," he muttered to himself as he moved towards the sound.  
...  
Landon and the others pulled up to the gates of the school, and after punching in the code, drove through the gates and up the drive. They exited the vehicle and were about to head inside when they heard a screeching sound. They turned and saw a boy with red eyes clinging to the roof. It was staring right at them as it screeched again and it's hands moved up to the top of it's head. It began the flesh apart, ripping itself right down the middle. Under the human flesh was a gray skin with dark hideous veins underneath. It finished tearing away at the disguise it had been wearing and bared it's fangs at them.  
"What the hell is that thing," Landon asked.  
"I am terribly sorry, Mr. Kirby, but it would be safer if you were not here at the moment," Altair said as he pulled a small reed from around his neck, and played a short song, before turning and pushing Landon towards the ground.  
Hope and Josie turned and saw Landon falling, and right before he hit the ground, he vanished.  
"What did you just do," Hope demanded as she grabbed the Satyr.  
"I sent him somewhere he would be safe until we deal with that thing," Altair replied as he looked at the creature. Hope and Josie saw Alaric, Lizzie, MG, and Shawn exit the building as the creature launched off the roof and headed straight for the two girls and the satyr.  
...  
Landon landed hard in a puddle and coughed as the wind was knocked out of him. It was pouring rain, and he was soaked by the time he sat up. He wasn't entirely sure what Altair had just done, but he was pretty sure he had been sent somewhere. He stood up and began to walk, trying to see in front of him through the rain, when a cloaked figure jumped out of the shadows and kicked him to the ground. He landed hard for the second time, and suddenly the figure was on top of him, pointing a crossbow in his face.  
"Wait, please don't," he pleaded.  
The figure took off the hood they were wearing, and Landon's jaw dropped open.   
"Hope?"  
"Who the hell are you?"


End file.
